Chris Bucknam WTF

Two points.

1) I don't get why all of these coaches think if we have a big rivalry between schools, track will suddenly be popular.

As the AP article points out, we have big rivalries between schools every year - it's called the conference meet. It's not like those are huge, huge spectator events.

The AP article started with the following line:

"Some coaches at this week's NCAA Indoor track and field championships see the event almost as an anticlimax to their highly competitive conference meets."

2) It's kind of ironic that Henry wants an 8-team affair at NCAAs as his teams have won more national titles than conference titles. If it's about having a complete track team, he likely loses.

The format of the championships is something that these coaches have been arguing over for years. The problem is, it isn't their decision to make. The NCAA determines the format of the championships and they want MORE representation from ALL the conferences, which is why we have the NCAA First Round model now outdoors and not the 24/8 plan the coaches originally put forward .

The team-only concept is ridiculous and would be horrible for the kids. Imagine your fate of qualifying for nationals in the 10,000m rests in whether or not your triple jumpers can do enough to get your team into the championship. That isn't the way our sport works on any level (high school, pro circuit, olympics).

You would only have about 25 schools with enough resources to vie for the championship each year. With 12 scholarships each, that is only 75 scholarships per year NATIONALLY. You would have a whole lot of good kids going to these schools for much smaller scholarships and a chance to make the nationals (just like they are doing with Oregon now).

I think the NCAA and USATF need to do a much better job of making our competitions fun, exciting and a good fan experience. I am a lifelong track fan and I can't stand watching most meets, in person or on television.

Bucknam not forgetting roots. He's remembering them. You don't think at UNI he would have won a national championship if there were a I-AA type track championships? Probably.

The way I read his argument is that there is a HUGE difference between those who will have shot to win title this weekend and those who aren't even there.

Consider that on the men's side, there are probably only 40-50 out of the 200+ schools that sponsor track, who even have the full 12.6 scholarships. Why not let teams with less have an opportunity to win, just like NCAA does for I-A and I-AA football?

It would have been interesting to have seen a D1AA championship. Though, besides Joey Woody, Miklos Arpasi, and the miler he took with him to Arkansas, I can't think of any other major standouts that he coached during his tour of duty in the UNIdome. It's not like they totally dominated even the MO Valley Conference everytime.

Bucky is just trying to figure out a system where the same kind of team can get him his SEC and NCAA bonus.

(Editor's Note: This first post is in reference to the Quote of the Day for 3/11/01 by Chris Bucknam which can be found here: http://www.letsrun.com/2011/homepage0311.php. It comes from the AP preview of the 2011 NCAA meet: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2011-03-10-460359532_x.htm)

Hey Bucky........you must have forgot you roots man. You dont want small schools in the NCAA championships......WTF! It wasnt to long ago your butt was at little UNI and wanted to mix it up with the big dogs. Now you are singing a different tune and want the small schools out? I guess your national champs at UNI mean nothing to you or the NCAA....is this correct? There are a ton of small school athletes that should and need to be in the national championships and can kick the S#@T out of the "large" school athletes.

Chris Bucknam and Pat Henry can suck at HUGE fat one.

Go little schools...kick some ass this weekend!

aerodynamic interlude wrote:

It would have been interesting to have seen a D1AA championship. Though, besides Joey Woody, Miklos Arpasi, and the miler he took with him to Arkansas, I can't think of any other major standouts that he coached during his tour of duty in the UNIdome. It's not like they totally dominated even the MO Valley Conference everytime.

What about Tyler Mulder?? NCAA Champ in the 800 indoors

Yeah, a pity he had to win that when what he should have been doing is competing at some lesser meet.

The problem is he's sitting in John McDonnell's old chair, looking at all those championship banners hanging down from the ceiling, and he's a bit overwhelmed. He's hoping to cut down on the competition. Maybe that will help.

You know what, though, SOME team will win the national title no matter how the meet is run. There will also be a second place and a third, etc..

It is pretty pathetic what is going on. Henry and Bucknam are getting old and are letting their egos get out of hand.

Its plain and simple, they are scared of competition from little schools and they put their own interest above anything else.

In this format their athletes would never get their behind kicked by Blessing O, last year 400m fem runner from Hampton and so on. They wanna name their own national champions regardless if there is somebody better then them in the NCAA.

Congrats for killing track and field big time "exceptional" coaches...

aerodynamic interlude wrote:

It would have been interesting to have seen a D1AA championship. Though, besides Joey Woody, Miklos Arpasi, and the miler he took with him to Arkansas, I can't think of any other major standouts that he coached during his tour of duty in the UNIdome. It's not like they totally dominated even the MO Valley Conference everytime.

10 valley conference championships in a row? Get your facts straight cheif.

My goodness! Sarcasm is lost in poorly written words, apparently...deep breath, man. UNI absolutely crushed in the MVC.

Thanks for the Mulder addition as well. Unbelievable talent.

There is a team champion every year with the current system. Cutting the national meet down to eight teams would VASTLY reduce the quality of the fields, and the races would not be anywhere near as interesting to watch. Imagine the NCAA 5k if only 8 teams had entrants. Strung out, winner determined with half the race to go, some runners getting lapped.

It is true that fans have to pay more attention to follow the team score at a track meet, with many different events, than they would at a football game, with only one event. This is a fundamental attribute of a track meet no matter how you structure the entries to the championship.

Announcers and broadcasters can do a lot to help the fans know the team score. Excluding the top athletes that are not on the best 8 teams is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It would still be impossible to track the team scores without good announcing, and the fields would be noticeably weaker.

Would going to a Div.1 & Div.1-AA cause the D2 meet to be re-named the baby,baby nationals?

I have the solution!!!

-64 athletes each event

-just like ncaa bball tournament (b/c track is soooooo similar to basketball) head to head competition in each event with brackets until we have 2 person final.

-ex. 10k runners race using 7 or the 10 (lanes 8,9,10 used for spectator alcohol consumption) runners race head to head with 3 races a day (to save time and money) and add to excitement (and injuries)

- 2 runners per lane so that there are 7 races happening at once

-the toughest and best racers will survive making the eventual champion the ultimate champion (this is the best way to toughen USA athletes and get them ready for the olympics)

- this will add excitement and create rivalries for the fans (besides who doesnt want to stand in lanes 8,9,10 and drunk during the races)(people that get beat can immediately start drinking)

f*** you phil!!

Why does TF always want to screw up a good lead-in story with all of the crap about how the sport is so "messed up"?

It makes no sense, to have any of that in the article. Holloway and Lannana are talking about winning a championship. At the end Henry is talking about winning a championship. Bucknam is going to the NCAA Meet talking about changing the entire structure of the NCAA (it wouldn't be just TF, alone).

Does he go to the USTFCCCA Convention or to the NCAA Convention? Does he know there are times and places for this conversation and a time to win a championship? Let's take the focus off the championship and give anyone with a doubt about our sport another reason to stay away. Is driving people away from our championships what TF does the best?

Bucknam can have an opinion on the structure of the national championship meet when (if) he ever wins one.

Henry has actually won a few championships...

He has a right to his opinion.

I hope Florida wins NCAA indoor and that Dick Booth (Boof) parades the trophy in front of Bucknam and his cronies.

It must be sad for Bucknam to go into his office every day and look at the banners that he is unlikely to ever earn. He had better get used to it...

Buckram is a hack who was brought in to manage the program through Jeff Long driven budget cuts. He has taken a legendary program and made it mediocre in less than 5 years. Well done Bucky.

Unfortunately, few in the state of Arkansas care so he'll continue to manage the program into the toilet.

Miklos Arpasi...ha ha ha. Good one. Did that guy even run at Nationals while he was at UNI?

By the way, you forgot about Csillag who got 2nd in the indoor 3000 one year. And the National Champion Pole Vaulter Jacob Pauli.